Cellist Seth Parker Woods Discusses Key Considerations When Working with Living Composers

VC caught up with cellist Seth Parker Woods, who performed the world premiere of Tyshawn Sorey's "For Roscoe Mitchell" with the Seattle Symphony

Approaching a new work with living composers can feel like you're learning a new language! Communication, performance style, and instrumental technique can vary depending on the work and the composer's ideas. Taking on this new challenge and making it your own is demanding and sometimes daunting.

Cellist Seth Parker Woods shares with us his expert advice on the topic. 

Cellist Seth Parker Woods Shares Important Points to Keep in Mind When Working with Living Composers

In my experience as a performing artist, commissioner of new work, curator, and educator, here are three key considerations:

Openness

There’s already an innate unspoken hierarchy that is taught in academia between performers and composers. I believe my best collaborations have occurred when both parties come to the table with the aim of creating beautiful art, and not the notion of the performer just playing what’s on the page.

You both have equal footing and you should also approach collaborations where you know the people in their room are experts in their field.

Use that to elevate the work, old or new. Try to find ways to understand each other, interests and how the performer can bring their expertise and exploratory side to the table, while the composer should be open to suggestions, and find where the interpreter's voice can exist inside of their composition.

Friends

Try to cultivate nurturing friendships with composers so that you can learn more about who they are outside of the composition you might be working on.

Creative Language Study

Do your best to study a composer's previous works to get a better grasp of their creative language. How does a piece of theirs from two, three or ten years ago differ from what is in front of you? Where are the commonalities?

In doing this, you learn more about how they write for certain instruments or ensembles, and what compositional tools they have either expanded, evolved or disregarded.

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The recipient of the 2022 Chamber Music America Michael Jaffee Visionary Award, cellist Seth Parker was the Artist in Residence with the Seattle Symphony and Creative Consultant for the interactive concert hall from 2018-2020. He is currently Artist in Residence at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music and Northwestern University, Center for New Music.

Woods is also on the faculty of the University at Buffalo as a Distinguished Visiting Scholar and Visiting Professor.